This invention relates to a gas-developing (or sparkling) chewing gum and more particularly to a gas-developing chewing gum containing a gas-developing composition in a central cavity thereof.
Heretofore, the gas-developing chewing gum is known from the Japanese patent publication NO. 23035/71, which utilizes a gas-forming property based on reaction of a carbonate or bicarbonate salt with an acid, especially an organic acid. The conventional gas-developing chewing gum, however, has a fatal disadvantage for storage stability in that direct contact of the carbonate or bicarbonate salt with the organic acid and dispersion of the gas-developing composition throughout the chewing gum without any reaction-controlling measure cause the pressure reaction of the carbonate or bicarbonate salt with the organic acid in the presence of moisture of the chewing gum, thereby to give off carbonic acid gas uselessly and to reduce a gas-developing effect considerably upon chewing.
Further, the gas-developing composition for a gas-developing drink is also known, which employs sugars, polyphosphates or organic acid salts as a stabilizer or excipient for the carbonate or bicarbonate salt. When these materials are used, however, there arise disadvantages in that the sugars cause a browning phenomenon, that the polyphosphates make storage of the product difficult and that the organic acid salts have an intrinsic salty taste.
Now it has been found out that if the carbonate or bicarbonate salt is granulated together with sodium sulfate or anhydrous sodium sulfate as the stabilizer or excipient in place of or in combination with the sugars, polyphosphates and organic acid salts to form granules, into which are then mixed and dispersed the sugar powder, fruit powder, fruit acid and flavoring ingredient to prepare the gas-developing composition, the direct contact of the carbonate or bicarbonate salt with the acid can be avoided, thereby preventing the premature reaction therebetween. Furthermore, it has been found out that if the resulting gas-developing composition is coated with or filled into the chewing gum, an adverse effect of moisture present in or absorbed by the chewing gum on the storage stability is significantly prevented and a good gas-developing performance is maintained even if the moisture comes into contact with the gas-developing composition, because the moisture is absorbed by a large amount of the sugars dispersed throughout the composition.